30 July 2016

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN JOHARI Hj Bungsu (pic) will always be remembered for more than just his passion and dedication for Brunei football. The former Najip FC coach passed away suddenly after collapsing during a friendly match on Thursday, sending shockwaves throughout the football community in the capital. A reliable football administrator, astute football pundit and staunch grassroots advocate, Johari was the Football Federation of Brunei Darussalam (FFBD) secretariat when Brunei was suspended by FIFA from September 2009 to June 2011. He also guided Najip FC to the FA Cup final in 2014 after defeating Indera SC in the semi-finals. Najip FC’s national forward Azri Zahari is still saddened by the news and said Johari was his major inspiration for becoming a good striker. “I’m shocked and I still can’t believe it,” Azri told The Brunei Times yesterday. “He has always been a happy-go-lucky person and I really enjoyed his trainings. I feel sad with his passing and I pray for peace for him. “There were a lot of good things that he gave to us as a team... He gave me the chance to play as a striker from a defender. “He believed I could play up front and score, and I went on to play up front for the national team as a striker against Cambodia (in a friendly on Nov 3). I really learned a lot from him,” continued Azri. DPMM FC skipper Rosmin Hj Md Kamis will never forget Johari for his honesty as a pundit for state broadcaster Radio Televisyen Brunei (RTB). “I would like to thank him for his dedication, determination and all the hard work for the love of football in the country,” said Rosmin. “He was a good man and honest in his criticism and comments of football matches. “He was a friend I will never forget and we will surely miss a real man like him. Condolences to his family,” he added. Like Rosmin, former national football coach Kwon Oh-son also feels Brunei football has lost a valuable friend. “He was a good friend of ours. The news of his fate at such a young age is a shock to us all,” said Kwon. “He provided good information for football fans and he loved us to learn through football. “He was a great teacher. He was always soft, kind, caring and loving. It is a great sorrow for all his friends. “He gave us a lot of love and good memories and I wish him eternal rest,” added the South Korean. Apart from his work as a pundit, Johari was also active in grassroots football. Johari headed the Brunei Sports School Soccer Academy as the coach and puts plenty of emphasis on grassroots football. He was also responsible for the annual Sports School Football Festival which features footballers under the age of 14. Former National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) general secretary Hj Muhd Zamri Dato Paduka Hj Hamdani also paid tribute to the late Johari. “He was a football activist who devoted most of his time to football,” said Hj Muhd Zamri. “With his help, the Sports School successfully organised football festivals annually. “He is a person who liked to update his knowledge by attending various courses organised by NFABD,” concluded the former general secretary. The Brunei Times - See more at:

THE national Under-14 football team fell to a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Vietnam in Group A of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Under-14 Regional Festival of Football yesterday. Vo Nguyen Hoang bagged a double with goals in the 19th and 31st minutes at the Balapan Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas. Nguyen Quoc Hoang then made it 3-0 in the 38th minute before Doan Minh Nhut added another in the 54th minute. Tran Thanh Tu got his name on the scoresheet three minutes later to complete the rout against the hosts. The sultanate started out their campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Myanmar on Tuesday before a come from behind 3-3 draw against Singapore on Wednesday.

The Brunei Times - See more at: http://www.bt.com.bn/sports-national/2016/07/29/vietnam-beat-brunei-afc-under-14-tourney#sthash.uTn5s2TD.dpuf

DPMM FC face their biggest test of the season when they take on defending champions Albirex Niigata (S) FC in the final of the Singapore League Cup tonight. It is the reigning Singapore League (S-League) champions’ best chance of winning silverware this season having been dumped out of the Singapore Cup in the quarter-finals and 16 points behind the Japanese outfits in the S-League with eight matches remaining. DPMM FC coach Steve Kean said tonight’s title decider at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore is their biggest match of this season and hopes they can deliver the goods. “This is by far the biggest match of the season. We have been improving after a poor start and are getting better,” Kean told The Brunei Times yesterday. “Hopefully we can win this and finish off the league strongly for another good season,” he added. DPMM FC — who will be looking to win the Singapore League Cup for the fourth time — lost both their meetings against Albirex in the S-League, including a 2-1 loss at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas on April 22. Despite past results, Kean feels that the April 22 tie saw them produce one of their best performances of the season. “The last meeting in Brunei was probably the best game and performance we have had this season - but never got the result. Hopefully this time we will have both,” said Kean. “We have been tough to break down and give our opponents very few chances in this competition. “Our defence has improved and hopefully it will remain that way,” added the Scotsman. DPMM FC are enjoying their best spell of the season with five straight wins — four in the competition which includes four clean sheets and have yet to concede in open play. However, they will have to defend against joint S-League topscorer Atsushi Kawata, who is tied with Brazilian forward Rafael Ramazotti with 12 goals apiece. The Japanese is in fine form after bagging a hat-trick in their 4-0 win against Tampines Rovers FC in Tuesday’s semi-finals. “We are not going to man-to-man mark him (Kawata) even though he is the league topscorer as it will give other players space,” explained Kean. “We have to make sure we pick him up when he is in the zone and then man-to-man him when he is in the box,” added the former Blackburn Rovers manager. It is almost a trend for Albirex to start off their season strongly before dwindling later on in the season. However, they have showed no signs of slowing down this year. “They’ve got a deeper squad and have more experience with older players in the team,” said Kean. “Normally, they are predominantly young players and tail off towards the end of the season. “They are different and organised this year. They are holding it together with a new coach and their training is helping them sustain (their good performances),” he added. Kean is also delighted to have Portuguese forward Paulo Sergio back from a two-game suspension and believes that he can make an impact. “He is always a big miss when not playing. He is the best player in the league, if not in the top two or three,” said the 48-year-old. “He can get behind the defence and is a tricky and clever player. It is great to have him back,” concluded Kean. DPMM FC will be missing defender Ak Yura Indera Putera Pg Yunos who is suspended for the encounter, with Abdul Aziz Tamit set to start in his place.

The Brunei Times - See more at: http://www.bt.com.bn/sports-national/2016/07/29/dpmm-fc-biggest-game-their-season#sthash.DFqR5ilt.dpuf

25 July 2016

HOSTS Brunei are hoping to do well at today’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-14 Regional Festival of Football.The opening ceremony is scheduled for 4.15pm at the Balapan Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas, and Brunei will take on Myanmar in Group A right after.Tabuan Under-14 head coach Stephen Ng Heng Seng is looking ahead to the competition.“We are looking forward to put up good performances in all our games this year and hopefully the performance will yield some good results,” said Ng as stated on the NFABD (National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam) website.“The boys will continue with their football education for the next couple of years by going through structural training programmes and playing more international games in AFC and AFF organised competitions.“This will help develop them into strong players that can compete to achieve glory in the future SEA Games for Brunei Darussalam,” he added.The first two matches will be contested at 9am today. Thailand will face off against Vietnam in Group A at the Balapan Track and Field while the Philippines will do battle against Cambodia in Group B in the other game at the Berakas Sports Complex.Timor Leste and Malaysia will go head-to-head in a Group B game at 4.45pm at the Berakas Sports Complex.The Brunei Times -

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BRUNEI is ready to host the second Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-14 Regional Festival of Football on Tuesday.
In a press conference held at the Orchid Garden Hotel in Berakas yesterday, the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (NFABD) confirmed that a total of 180 players from 10 ASEAN countries will be competing at the four-day event.
NFABD acting competition director Dayem Hj Ali opened the meeting before NFABD general secretary Pg Hj Mohiddin Pg Badarudin conducted the briefing.
Similar to last year’s format, there will be no championship game for the festival — thus all the participating countries will only need to complete their matches in their respective group.
“The festival is focused on the higher elements of the sport at the grassroots level, specifically better skills development, as opposed to emphasising competing and winning,” said Pg Hj Mohiddin.
“We would like to thank the AFC for giving us (NFABD) the opportunity to organise this festival for the second time in a row following the resounding success of last year’s festival that attracted more than a thousand spectators,” he added.
Pg Hj Mohiddin also said that this year’s festival will see a number of new programmes initiated by NFABD with the support of AFC.
“Other than the football matches, we will also organise a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaign which involves a seminar, a health awareness campaign and as well as an outreach programme,” he continued.
“With these programmes, we are hoping to educate the younger players about the importance of CSR as well as contributing back to the community,” added the NFABD general secretary.
Also present at the press conference yesterday were NFABD acting deputy president Hj Madli Mohamad Yusuf and assistant general secretary Pg Mohd Amirrizal Pg Hj Mahmud.
A total of 20 matches are set to be played at the Berakas Sports Complex and the Balapan Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.

The first match will see hosts Brunei taking on Myanmar following the opening ceremony which will be held at the Balapan Track and Field.
Led by head coach Stephen Ng Heng Seng, the national Under-14 team have been preparing over the past few months.
“The players trained very hard for this tournament and they also have played a number of friendly games recently against the Sabah Under-15 and Under-18 teams,” said acting competition director Dayem.
“Their results and performance in the past friendly games have been very promising and they are very close to ready… So we hope that they can give their best at the festival,” added Dayem.
The full schedule of the matches will be uploaded to the NFABD official website after the team managers’ meeting on Monday.
The main aim of the festival is to provide a continuous player development pathway from the grassroots to the elite level and ensure a smooth transition for elite players to the national team.
Sanctioned by AFC, the festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and other related agencies.

17 July 2016

Friday, July 15, 2016
A GOOD tactical change in the second half resulted in DPMM FC’s 4-0 thumping of Warriors FC in their Singapore League Cup Group A opener on Wednesday night. After a goalless opening half, DPMM FC coach Steve Kean moved an extra man to midfield to ensure more ball movement - allowing the three-time winners to open the floodgates at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore. “There was no passing rhythm in the first half and we had to wait till the 43rd minute to string together five consecutive passes,” said Kean at the post match conference. “In the second half, we changed tactically to put an extra man in midfield and get the ball wider. “That worked, with (Paulo) Sergio showing some good movement to score the first goal,” added the Scotsman. Knocked out of the Singapore Cup in the quarter-finals and 16 points adrift from Singapore League (S-League) leaders Albirex Niigata (S) FC with eight matches left, the former Blackburn Rovers manager reiterated his belief that the Singapore League Cup offers their only realistic chance of a trophy this season. “It’s been a tough season of transition for us, but the team is improving as the season progresses,” said Kean, who coached DPMM FC to their maiden S-League title last season. “To be the first club to win this competition four times will be a big boost for us,” he added. Sergio bagged the opener in the 62nd minute before Adi Said doubled the lead six minutes later. Rafael Ramazotti added a brace late on to complete the comfortable win for the defending S-League champions. Warriors were shorthanded for the match with French forward Jonathan Behe out with a knee injury. They also had the duo of Madhu Mohana and Hafiz Nor away for international duty as well as the pair of Shaiful Esah and Hafiz Osman out through suspension. Warriors caretaker coach Razif Onn felt that the changes made by DPMM FC, coupled with fatigue on their side, led to their downfall. “We managed to close down on Ramazotti and Sergio in the first half. As long as you can contain them, it’s quite safe,” he explained. “But in the second half, DPMM FC changed their style of play and played more passes on the ground. “That created a lot of confusion for my defence and that’s how we conceded the first goal. “Fatigue then set in to cause lapses in concentration so we ended up conceding more goals,” he added. DPMM FC currently top the group on goal difference from Tampines Rovers FC, who notched a 6-4 win over Hougang United FC in Wednesday night’s other match. The Brunei side will take on Hougang in the second game at the Hougang Stadium on Sunday before ending their group stage play with a meeting against Tampines at the Jalan Besar Stadium on July 21. The Brunei Times -

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THE national Under-16 team fell to a 2-0 defeat to hosts Cambodia in Group B of the 2016 AFF (ASEAN Football Federation) Under-16 Youth Championship in Phom Penh last night. Cambodia, who kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 win over Laos on Monday, got off to a strong start by finding the net in the 37th minute through Sean Sopeaktra at the Olympic Stadium.Sopeaktra found the net again in the 76th minute to seal the three points for Cambodia as they moved to the summit of the Group B with six points.Cambodia replaced Timor Leste at the top after the latter lost 3-0 to Thailand in yesterday’s other game.Thailand are now second in the group with three points and are ahead of third placed Timor Leste on goal difference.Brunei, meanwhile, are at the bottom of the table and behind - Laos who have also yet to pick up any points in the tournament.Yesterday’s game was Brunei’s second game in the group after losing 3-0 to Timor Leste in their first game on Monday.Osorio Angelo Da Costa Gusmao, Juvencio Acacio Ximenes and Expedito Soares Da Conceicao all found the net for Timor Leste in the victory.Group A is made up of Myanmar, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.The top two teams in each group will progress into the semi-finals. The Sultanate will continue their campaign tomorrow against defending champions Thailand before closing out their group stage play with a match against Laos on Sunday.Brunei finished last in the previous edition of the tournament held in Cambodia last year after collecting one point from five matches. They started out with a 2-2 draw against Timor Leste before getting hammered 6-1 by two-time champions Vietnam in the second match. They were then edged 1-0 by both Malaysia and Laos. Brunei then closed out the tournament with a 2-0 loss to eventual champions Thailand. The Brunei Times -

See more at: http://www.bt.com.bn/sports-national/2016/07/14/brunei-lose-cambodia-aff-under-16-youth-c%E2%80%99ships#sthash.wYmV6ISH.dpuf